Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki Sauce

I made these just the other night (DH and I both really like lamb). My local market didn't have any lamb, so I went to Whole Foods. There wasn't any ground lamb, so I asked the butcher to grind it for me. Next time, I will request a finer grind. He made them a little chunkier than I like. Also, when I made these, I just cooked the sliders in a frying pan with a tiny bit of olive oil. Since we just moved, the grill wasn't set up yet and we don't have a grill pan for the stove. They were still delicious.

Tzatziki Sauce:

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

2 cloves minced garlic

½ of a hothouse cucumber, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp chopped parsley

1 tsp chopped dill

½ tsp fresh ground black pepper

salt to taste

The original recipe called for fresh mint in the sauce instead of dill. I’m not a big fan of fresh mint because the smell can be overpowering sometimes, but in small quantities it can be really tasty. Use what flavors you prefer.

Sliders:

1 lb ground lamb

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 small shallot, finely diced

1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper

½ tsp salt

Mix all of the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and set aside.

For the sliders, mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. I found it was easiest to mix with my hands (I wore gloves). Form into small patties. Make them a little bit larger than the buns you have as they will shrink a bit when cooking. This recipe makes between 6 to 8 sliders. Cook for about 3 minutes per side in a grill pan or on the grill.

Assemble with your slider buns or small pieces of pita, slices of tomato and thinly sliced onion. It also tastes great with caramelized onions.